ARTICLE: How to buy a *USED* Car in India

This is a discussion on ARTICLE: How to buy a *USED* Car in India within On buying a car, part of the Team-BHP Advice category; @ live360- 'trusty car-broker' is an oxymoron. Wade through the used car market at your own peril.
and watch Wheeler ...

Y'day I checked on two Matiz used cars in Bangalore. Surprisingly, Both of them have a similar story:
The current owner bought it from a friend 3-4 months back; he has bought another car and so selling this one; but the ownership is not transferred (in both cases).
Officially, on paper, I will be the 2nd owner (if at all I buy this). In reality, I will be the 3rd owner.

Being from Chennai, can my mother purchase a car in Bangalore, and have it transferred to her name, having ID proof only Chennai-based ??

Your Mom could buy a car from anywhere, but to register it in Bangalore, you will need some proof of residence in Bangalore. Search the forum, well covered topic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ch.nathan

The current owner bought it from a friend 3-4 months back; he has bought another car and so selling this one; but the ownership is not transferred (in both cases).

Unless the transfer forms have a date next to the original owner's signature (which they won't!), you never know whether the 2nd owner has used the car for 4 months or 4 years. Either ways, avoid the Matiz. There are several other (equally cheap) hatchbacks in the market.

@live360, Buying a used car from Mumbai will be a reasonable idea because of overflooding of used cars in the market. As described here, it is a normal practice to fiddle the odo of fuel efficient cars like Maruti becuse people will surely drive them for more than 1 lac kms. On the other hand certain cars like Indica Xeta which has very low fuel economy, owners tend to drive less. Again if petrol cars are converted to CNG, their running will be high. But to some experts although the odo is tampered, the engine and performance will indicate wear and tear. There are cars of 2005-2006 which could have been driven close to 80k kms and some 2001 cars still near 19k kms.

Mahindra First Choice Mumbai sells good and genuine cars which are certified for 1year. They also sell non certified cars on as is where is basis. One fact I would like to share according to my experiences. If someone gets a used car of 2002 driven around 35000 kms, the tyres are still factory fit, 50% tread on it. It is safe to buy car with original tyres, but the rubber compound in the tyres tend to harden and develop cracks. Eventually the new owner only replaces the original tyres and the life of the vehicle is a long way to go. It better to buy used cars which have high fuel consumption like Indica Petrol, Getz and UVA.

Either ways, avoid the Matiz. There are several other (equally cheap) hatchbacks in the market.

This is for my wife's in-city use. My budget is app 1 lakh.
I have been looking for Zen. But here even 1999 Zen's are quoted at 1.1 lakh. So, I thought a Matiz at around 60k-70k would be a good deal.
What are the other options you would suggest for me?

Y'day I checked on two Matiz used cars in Bangalore. Surprisingly, Both of them have a similar story:
The current owner bought it from a friend 3-4 months back; he has bought another car and so selling this one; but the ownership is not transferred (in both cases).
Officially, on paper, I will be the 2nd owner (if at all I buy this). In reality, I will be the 3rd owner.

Do you guys see anything suspicious here?

Classic case of flybynight dealers. Even though I am a Matiz lover.

Did any one of these say they were "Moving Abroad"? Probably not, as its going to be a low-value sale.

In cases where such "undercover- dealers" advertise, say a Merc C-Class 2004 or a @2004 Honda Accord, with the words "Urgent Sale, Moving Abroad"... rest assured you'll bump into them 3 months from now if you're still hunting for your dream car.

This is how it works:

Buy a high in demand car (e.g. OHC 2003 Vtech) at a dirt cheap price (say Rs. 1.25L, for whatever reason); do it up, make it shine inside-out; advertise as explained above.

Snare unsuspecting buyer, sell for 2.5L.

Shift house and hearth from rented accommodation within days.

- The RC mentions the original buyer's name and address
- The Sale letter does not mention your name
- There is no documentary evidence of you having partaken the transaction!

Not bad for a month's work.

Now, OTOH, if you came across a tbhp-ian, you'd better have health insurance.

I test drove the car today and it seemed alright expect that I needed to push the pedal a bit more than I expected to get the desired power output. I suspect clutch plates replacement is required. Could there be anything else wrong with it?

While idling, for once, the RPM goes a 'bit' up and down and along with it the car shudders - nothing much, but a very slight shudder. And this happens only once, I kept it idling for almost 5-10 minutes. Thoughts?

Now here's the imp question:
As per the documents, the car is registered in the name of 'Om Book Shop' - a very popular book depot in NCR. The girl (a model) who is selling me the car says that she bought it (for Rs 2,30,000) from the first owner a month ago for her boss who wanted something to drive around in Delhi during the Commonwealth Games. Now she cannot seem to be able to afford the car (low average, 8-10 kmpl) hence, wants to sell it off for around the same price.

Catch: She didn't get the car transferred in her name. She has all the original documents including the NOC.

She says she can help me with the registration change process - she knows someone in RTO who can get me a Chandigarh registration.

I have doubts around the authenticity of the deal. What if it is a stolen car? What if the documents are forged? Has it really run for just 50K KM in 8 years?

Questions:
1. How do we find out that the car is stolen? Can I do it from here in Chandigarh for a Delhi registered car?

2. If I ask her to get the registration done in Chandigarh herself, and then sell me the car with the Chandigarh number license plate?

I am taking the car to Hyundai in the morning to get it checked. Are the parts easily available for this car? I just need a to and fro vehicle and I love the interiors and the luxuries of such a car.

Any idea how much would a clutch plate assembly cost? Otherwise, the car is in pristine condition, no rattles, no alignment issues, interiors are spic and span, audio, ACC etc all work just fine. Even the bonnet and boot's hydraulic bars retain the pressure.

Man this thread is goohood and now that I got my LL, I'm planning to buy a used car as my first car. From this thread, I know what all documents the owner has to flesh out, So, can you please tell me what all documents are required from the person who's buying a used car?